‘CHILDREN OF LIGHT’

To the Caldari merchants that shuttled between the core systems it was
considered a good omen if, on approaching the Iyen-Oursta stargate, they might
witness the hypnotic ballet of the Lutins. Some Gallente locals even took to
worshipping these strange dancing lights, that would on rare occasions surround
an approaching ship like a swarm of angels until the jump to Perimeter was
made. The more belligerent of the Amarrian traders meanwhile saw them as mere
baubles, strung up in space to calm the women, children and slaves before the
warp drive’s wrench pulled them briefly into timeless non-existence.

Rumours had spread across the Border Zone of vengeful ghost drones returning
from the climactic battle at Iyen-Oursta, perhaps to enact a haunting toll for
the Caldari secession a century previous. Conspiracy theorists, as is their
way, held that the spectral phenomenon was evidence of Jove experiments.
Ironically, it was the dismissive Amarrians who capitalised most -- on the
widening belief among Minmatar slaves that if they witnessed the spectacle of
lights, their firstborn son would be blessed with freedom.

Despite the fact that the detour sometimes doubled the length of their journey,
slaver vessels would divert through the Gallente Border Zone in the hope that a
sighting - staged or otherwise - would serve to quiet an obstreperous cargo.
Some slavers lent the spreading belief further credence by freeing the Luti,
the children subsequently born of ‘blessed parents’. Others weren’t as
compassionate, taking instead to neutering their human cargo, often by
furtively poisoning the ceremonial Kapli bread baked in honour of a Lutin
blessing.

Whilst a few scientific studies were conducted on the phenomenon (or ‘Iyen
Pixies,’ as they became colloquially known), efforts were half-hearted.
Welcoming the income afforded by the increased traffic, the Amarr Empire
exerted its pressure on the academic community. In the end, even the most
inquisitive of academics were dissuaded from seeding their sensor arrays around
the increasingly busy node.

Meanwhile, among pockets of forced-migrant Minmatar workers, the legend
continues to flourish. Kapli bread is still baked by those hoping for release
from captivity across plantations and farms everywhere, and in a quiet corner
of San Matar, on the darkest day of the year, the Lutinlir, (‘Festival of
lights’) attracts thousands of Luti families now living in the relative freedom
of the Ammatar enclave.

Of the widespread theories put forward through the years to explain the fabled
Lutins, the one most favoured by the scientific community is that of
superheated plasma escaping through poor venting from the stargate itself. It
is thought that if approached at the right speed, correct angle and proper warp
drive frequency, the vented plasma is attracted away from the jumpgate’s boson
sphere and towards the approaching ship. According to the theory, the plasma’s
reaction to the ship’s shields is what creates the brief, dazzling and harmless
display of multispectral lights.

Over time, perhaps due to the advances jumpgate technology has seen over the
years, the number of sightings has dropped considerably. Of the few reports
that are made, most are dismissed as elaborate hoaxes. As a consequence, the
Iyen-Oursta system has become something of a quiet bypass for traders as
opposed to the highway it once was. Still, every once in a while, a hopeful
soul may be seen roaming around the gate, wishing for a glimpse of that fabled
beauty.